


Legend AU

by iliveforbook_713



Category: Legend Series - Marie Lu
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Best Friends, Brotherly Love, Brothers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:27:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29539584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iliveforbook_713/pseuds/iliveforbook_713
Summary: Day and June have been friends for as long as they can remember. They do everything together, birthdays, weekend sleepovers, even family dinners.Now they are in high school and life is good. They are just normal teenagers, trying to make it through each school day. That is, until the unthinkable happens and Day's life falls to pieces.But it will be Ok because June will be there to help him through his troubles. They will always help each other.This is going to be kind of a slow burn, double pining, friends to lovers situation. (I think it takes 10 chapters for Day to realize his feelings.) Anyways, I hope you guys like it, I've started a lot of fanfics but this is the longest one so far.Love to all.
Relationships: June Iparis/Daniel "Day" Wing, Matthias Iparis/Original character





	1. Chapter 1-Day

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to change up the timeline a bit, June's parents die when she is 8. This story will mostly fit the original timeline but I am probably going to change small minor details here and there. In my AU both June and Day are normal kids, not super-geniuses and they've been friends forever.
> 
> Hope you guys like it❤️❤️

June has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, we do EVERYTHING together. We have sleepovers every weekend, all of our birthday parties are together even though we are a month apart. We share clothes, we share food at lunch, our brothers are kind of friends too.

The best part is, we live so close I can just walk to her house whenever I want to! But right now, I'm sad. I haven't seen June in a week and I miss her more than I can express with my words. The last time I saw her was at our joint 8 year old birthday party. Everyone was happy then. Everyone is not happy now. June's parents are dead. So I decided to take initiative.

Now here I am, knocking on her door and ringing her doorbell in hopes she will answer and let me cheer her up. My brother, John, and my mom, (whose belly is the size of like 1 million watermelons) helped me make some soup and pick out some flowers.

I had a whole plan on what I was gonna say, but as soon as I hear the door handle click and I see June's tear-stained face, I drop my flowers, jump over my soup and run up to her. She looks relieved to see me and hugs me back immediately.

We stand there for a few minutes in the doorway, just hugging then my mom comes up to the door. June lets go of me and runs over to my mom, hugging her leg. She begins crying and my mom's face looks so sad.

"Oh, sweetie," she says sighing, she reaches down and picks June up like she does when I'm upset. "Let's go inside" June clings to her and when we get in we all sit down on the couch.

June mumbles something into my mom's neck so quietly that she has to ask her to repeat it. "Metias hasn't come out of his room since they died. I'm worried about him"

My mom makes a face and then leans down to ask June, "Have you been eating enough?"

"Yes," June answers. "There's plenty of food in the house. I'm just worried about Metias, I don't know if he is eating, he won't let me in." My mom sets June down next to me.

"I'm going to go up and check on him ok?" She gives a small smile and walks away. June snuggles closer to me. I hug her again. I really hope she gets happy soon.

We hear noises coming from upstairs and I hear my mom say, "It's Daniel's mom. Honey, you have to come out. I want to help you." Then we hear a door click and my mom comes back down the stairs with Metias. His face looks horrible. It looks shallow and sunken in and his eyes are empty.

He sits down next to June and she gets as close to him as possible. He wraps his arm around her and sniffles. I know he's already 18 but right now he looks my age.

We all sit in silence for a few minutes then I decide to ask if June wants to come over for a sleepover since it's Friday. "I'll help cheer you up some more," I say and smile at her.

She musters a small smile for me in return. "That sounds great"

After that June and I go outside to play because my mom said she wants to talk to Metias. The window is open and I catch a few words of their conversation. something like "get better" and a word I don't know "custody" June seems to know what it is because her face darkens. She's always been better at words than me.

One week later

I'm on the playground with June at school today. Over the past week, she seems to be getting better. She came back to school after we went over to her house and she's talking more and more. Sometimes I still see her cry but I always hug her and make it better.

But today she seems as sad as she was a week ago. No maybe not sad, just empty and feelingless. I ask her what's wrong and she replies with something I don't understand.

"Metias got full custody of me today. I should be happy, I love him more than anything but it just makes their deaths real, ya know? Like now they are really, actually gone." I shake my head.

"What does custody mean?"

"It means that he's like my parent now. Do you know how your mom is responsible for you and John? Well, now Metias is responsible for me like that."

" Ohhh I get it now, he's like your new parent and you're sad because he feels like a replacement"

"Exactly"

"Well don't be too sad June! I'll always be here to hug you!" She smiles and we do hug, until the end of recess.


	2. Chapter 2-June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June and Day continue to go through everyday life together. From starting new school years to playdates. Everything together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a few time skips, but they should stop after this one.

I look over at Day. "We got this," I say, forcing as much confidence as I can into my words.

"Yeah. We got this! No problem at all"

We stare down the busy hallway of our new middle school. Kids flood the path, there are so many of them that the walls seem to bulge, I may have a panic attack right here and now.

Day takes the first step forwards, holding my hand and I follow. By now, everyone in our grade thinks we're dating despite the numerous times we've told them that they are incorrect. We are just possibly the closest friends in the history of the universe.

We made it so that our lockers are close and we are in at least a few of the same classes, but I don't know how well I'm going to do on the social scale without Day at my side 100% of the time. He always initiated our conversations. Yes, that's how close we are, we rarely have conversations by ourselves.

Slowly, we find our way to our lockers and gather our belongings. Our first class is together but after that, we don't have anything together till after lunch. I repeat the words over and over in my head. We got this. We got this.

Time skip

Lunch was chaotic and the classes after that were all boring, just a whole bunch of first-day stuff. "Be respectful, turn work in on time" All stuff I already know. Day seems to have the same experiences in all of his classes and after school, we walk home together.

Day starts talking, "So...Mr. R in PE..." I crack up. He was the funniest old man ever!

"Oh my god, I know! He's like 200 years old or something. Definitely shouldn't be teaching anymore."

"Oh, oh! when Jake had to explain what dodgeball was, I could barely hold my laugh in!" We're both on the verge of tears now, trying hard not to fall over in the middle of the street.

We are finally done laughing when we reach Day's house. He waves at me and begins to climb the stairs.

"Hey!" I shout

"Yeah?"

"Love you" I jokingly blow him a kiss

He laughs " Love you too June! Mwah"

I laugh and walk away. Life is good right now and I really hope it stays this way. Just me and Day living our lives together for as long as we can.

That night when Metias gets home from work I have dinner all made and set out. I don't usually do this but he had to work late tonight so I figured I would do something nice for him. When he walks in he grins at me.

"Thank you, Junebug! It looks so good."

"It better look good, It took an hour and a half!"

He laughs, "Only you would manage to take an hour and a half while making spaghetti"

"Hey!" I fake-punch him and we sit down to eat. 

Time skip

This feels very familiar. I decide to say the words first this year. "We got this!" I give Day a smile and we walk into the halls of our high school. For some reason starting high school was far less nerve-wracking than starting middle school but the words still give me confidence. They became our mantra, saying them at the beginning of every year as well as whenever we need confidence.

Day has very similar classes to me again this year. I think the school district has just caught on that we do better together.

At lunch we find a quiet table in the corner and dig into our food, swapping small bites here and there.

By the end of the day, my stress levels have decreased now that I know for sure where all my classes are. When I get home I unpack and begin homework calling Day to confer on answers.

While on the phone with Day he asks if I want to come over and visit with him and Eden while they wait for his mom and John to come home. Day's house is about the same size as mine but I know that their family worked way harder to get where they are now. His mom has worked 2 jobs since his dad died and John started working as soon as he turned 15.

I of course say yes and begin walking over. When I get there, I don't even knock, I just walk right in. Day is sitting on the floor watching Eden create some sort of circuit. There's a box laying nearby and the lid says "snap circuits" I think he's figuring out a way to light a lightbulb with the snaps and a battery.

"What's up, guys!" I say and plop down next to Eden.

He looks up at me and grins. "Hi, June! Here watch this!" He clicks one last snap into place and turns a switch. I was right, a lightbulb lights up, but a speaker also begins to play music and a small plastic fan, kind of like a windmill, starts to blow.

I lean in closer "Dang Eden, that's really cool! How did you do that?"

"It's really easy actually, you just connect the battery to all of these objects with the snaps and make sure it completes a full circuit. There's a big book with a bunch of different circuits you can make but I don't use that, I just make my own, and I try to make them as complicated as possible." He finishes, still grinning at me.

"Daaang" I say again. "You should come to some of mine and Day's classes, I'm sure you would pass with a better grade than us."

"Hey speak for yourself!" Says Day as he bumps my shoulder with his. "I personally plan on passing with an AMAZING grade." He smirks.

We talk for a few more hours until Day's mom gets home. I stand up and hug her. Since my parents died (and even before) she was a mother figure to me.

Soon it's time for me to go and I stand up, say my goodbyes, hug Day and begin to walk out of the door. I stop when I feel a tug on my sleeve. Looking down, I see Eden giving me puppy dog eyes. "Don't you dare, Eden. Don't even think about giving me those eyes!" It's too late though, I know exactly what he wants and I also know I can't refuse.

I sigh and crouch down letting him climb up on my back. We do this at least once every time I come over, it's a tradition. I run out of the door and spin around a few times in their front yard, tipping back and forth and enjoying the gleeful laugh that comes out of him. After a few minutes, I turn him around so I'm holding him in front of me.

I give him a serious look, "Eden. The truth of the matter is, you, my good sir are getting very heavy and I am getting very old. I'm not sure how much longer I'm gonna be able to do this."

He laughs, "Come on June, you know I'm gonna force you to do it till your like 85 and lying on your deathbed. Besides, you're not thaaaaat old, you're 15!" He finishes with an emphasis on 15.

"Fine, fine, but I really do have to go now," I say with a sad look. He pecks me on the cheek and I set him down. He runs back to the house and waves goodbye with Day from the doorway.

Time skip-sophomore year

We are 3 days into our sophomore year and I am already freaking out. The classes are much harder this year and I was stupid and enrolled in AP stuff. Then again so did Day so at least we are able to fail together.

I make it through my first three classes and sit down with Day at our usual lunch table. I'm about to take my first bite when Day's phone rings. He takes it out, puts it on speaker, and leans forward so we can both hear.

"Hello?" he says

"Hi this is the front desk of Central Republic Hospital, I'm Carol. Please get over here as soon as possible."


	3. Chapter 3-Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day and June go to the hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really much to say...hope you enjoy

I drop the phone, millions of horrendous possibilities flooding my head. My breathing has become uneven and I can hear Carol on the phone saying "hello?" repeatedly. June takes my face in her hands. "Hey," she says, "Hey, It'll be ok. Just take a deep breath and pick up the phone. We got this."

I nod and do as she says apologizing to Carol. "Sorry, I'll be on my way over in a sec. What happened?"

"We'll inform you of that when you get here. Come as fast as you can but drive safe. When you come in, I'll be at the front desk. It'll be ok Day."

I thank her and hang up. I have never been happier that my birthday is when it is and I have my license already. What I don't have is a car. June stands up, already reading my mind. "Come on, we can take mine."

"Thanks" I mutter, trying to calm down. I can feel a migraine coming on. We run out of the cafeteria and towards the office when we get there June stops and I realize I have to tell them where we are going.

"Family emergency, I just got a call from the hospital, we need to leave," I say urgently

"Fine, Mr. Wing you can go, Ms. Iparis doesn't need to accompany you, she isn't family." She glares slightly at June.

"Ma'am, with all due respect June is family and she has the car so please shut the fuck up and let us leave." With that, I grab June's hand and run out of the building.

When we get to the car June stops. "Maybe I should drive?" she suggests, "you might not be the best diver right now."

I nod and climb in the passenger seat, simultaneously pulling up directions to the hospital on my phone. I prop it up so June can see and lay my head against the headrest, closing my eyes. I breathe deeply trying the quell the building anxiety I feel. Breaking down in June's car while she is trying to drive won't help anyone. 

I spend the rest of the ride with my eyes closed trying not to imagine what horrible things could have happened. I am subconsciously aware that June is driving probably way too fast. Risking getting pulled over for getting there faster. I hear sirens and know we are close.

I begin unbuckling my seatbelt and as soon as June pulls up to the front entrance I hope out. "I'm going to find a spot to park in the garage, I'll meet you inside."

I reach out and give her hand a squeeze "Thank you June." she gives a small smile and with that, I run into the hospital.

The sliding glass doors take like 100 years to open and when I finally get inside I sprint up to the front desk. "Are you Carol?" I ask. She nods.

"Day?"

"Yeah, now please tell me what the hell happened."

"If you follow me you can talk to the doctor over here." I don't understand how she is so calm, or how a person can walk as slow as she does.

She leads me to a small room with no windows and plain beige walls. A middle-aged harsh looking woman with a lab coat on stands up and takes my hand. We shake and she motions for me to sit down. I don't. "Please," I beg "just tell me why I'm here. What happened?" I'm on the verge of tears now.

The doctor clears her throat. "I am Dr. Jameson." Her voice is as harsh as her appearance. "I regret to inform you that there was a fire at your house, your mother and brother, John did not survive"

My entire world flips upside down. I can't see or hear. I can't breathe. There's a ringing in my ear and I can vaguely tell that someone is speaking still. I think I sat down. I think I'm curled into a ball in one of the uncomfortable chairs Dr. Jameson wanted me to sit in. I think the whole world has ended. I think. I think.

And just as suddenly as before, the world flips again. It flips and rearranges itself so that there is one thought in my head and one thought only. After a few moments of trying, I am able to speak this thought. "Eden?" My voice doesn't sound like my own. It sounds completely and utterly foreign.

"Eden is safe and stable in a room down the hall. He sustained fairly serious burns to his face, eyes, and left forearm. I can take you to him now if you wish."

"Yes." I croak out "Yes I wish." Someone takes my shoulders and steers me out and down the hall. We stop in front of a room with a closed door and I realize that they are waiting for me to open it. I reach out slowly and turn the handle. The sight in front of me racks my body with sobs. 

Eden is curled into a smaller ball than I thought possible, hugging a spare pillow as if his life depended on it. He has bandages wrapped all over him, including his head. Actually, almost the entirety of his head is covered in bandages, even his eyes. I can hear soft sobs escaping him, he's not even trying to hold them in. My headstrong, sarcastic baby brother is full out sobbing in a hospital bed. There's a nurse sitting on the edge of the bed, awkwardly rubbing his back, the only place without bandages.

I run over, practically shoving the nurse away while simultaneously thanking her for her attempted efforts at comforting him. I reach out and touch Eden's should and he immediately tenses up. It takes me a few moments to control myself but I eventually manage to speak. "Eden. Eden, It's me. It's Daniel."

He immediately sits up, which must be painful. "Daniel?" he sobs "Is it actually you?" He's not looking in the right direction.

"Yeah kid, it's me. I'm here" I gently grab his shoulder and pull him towards me. Once he knows where I am, he lunges for me, burying his head in my chest and pushing himself towards me over and over as if he can get closer than he already is. I wrap my arms around him, trying to be gentle in case he is in pain but he doesn't seem to be hurting.

"I, I....I, I c, coul-"He tries to get words out through his sobs but I stop him.

"Hey, hey, shhh don't try to talk. It's ok. Just stay right here." I'm crying too. Holding Eden in my arms, I lay down in the bed, trying the get around the wires that are attached to him. I face away from the door where I can still see the nurse and Dr. Jameson.

He's still trying to say something so I lean in. "I- I don't, I don't like that doctor. Sh...she's not, she's not a good p...person." He says this so quietly and I am filled with red hot anger. If she did anything to harm him...I take a deep breath and turn my head.

"Can we have a few moments alone please?" I ask in my nicest voice possible, which isn't very nice right now.

"Of course" replies Dr. Jameson and I feel Eden tense up at the sound of her voice.

When I'm sure they are gone, I turn back to Eden, meaning to ask him about why he seems so afraid of his doctor but I decide that we can deal with that later. Right now he needs me.

I run my hand up and down his back, similar to what the nurse was doing but I do it like I've had it done to me all my life. Like how my mother does it. Did it. I run one finger up and down the length of his spine, using my other arm to hold him close.

Whispering small, quiet words of comfort, I feel him slowly begin to relax against me, and eventually, I even hear his sobs turn into short hiccuping breaths. I rest my chin on the top of his head and close my eyes.

Soon I hear the door open again and I am about to get angry, thinking it's Dr. Jameson but when I turn around I see June. She has tears in her eyes as she makes her way over, climbing into the bed with us so that she is big spooning me. Eden tenses up again and gasps "Daniel, who is that?"

"It's ok Eden, It's just June." I feel his muscles physically relax.

"Oh, June come over here." He says. She does as she is told, getting up again and laying next to Eden instead of me. She reaches out and strokes his head on top of his bandages. He uncurls from me and tucks his head into her chest. I continue to run my finger over his back and we stay like that until we all stop crying and Eden is asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I hope I didn't overdo it on the cuddles. There's not much I love more in this world than writing cuddles.


	4. Chapter 4-Eden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibling fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is from Eden's POV which probably won't happen very often but I crave him and Day's relationship more than I crave air, soooo you might get a lot of sibling fluff in this chapter...and every other chapter.  
> Love to all ❤️❤️  
> Hope you enjoy!!

When I wake up, the world is dark. Dark and painful. I shiver, feeling around the hospital bed for Daniel. When I don't find him, I begin to freak out. I know I'm being irrational but I can't help imagining that he left me too. Just like everyone else left me. Just like mom left. And John left. At least this time I won't have to see it.

I'm still frantically feeling around the bed, not daring to go farther out into the room when I hear my name. "Eden? Oh god Eden, kid I'm right here. One second let me put this down." I hear a soft clink and then I can feel Daniel's arms around me through the bandages. I take a deep breath, calming down and hugging up close to him. "I'm sorry, I went to get hot chocolate for us. They are gonna try taking that nasty crap off your face, then you can actually have real food."

I give a small laugh and sigh. "Thank god. I want to be able to see again." I wait for a response but it doesn't come. He stays silent, releasing me from my hug but holding on to my hand. "Daniel?"

It takes him a moment to answer, "mm, yeah?"

"Is something wrong?" He's acting weird and aloof. "I'm not dumb, yeah?" He gives a big sigh.

"No nothings wr-...y'know, I'm not gonna lie to you. I wouldn't want someone to lie to me so I won't lie to you. You want the truth?"

"Mhmm"

He sighs again, "Ok. There's a chance that when the doctors take those bandages off of your eyes, you won't be able to see. In the fire, your corneas got burned which means that there is a very probable chance you won't regain your full vision."

He finishes and I don't know what to say. Don't know how to feel. Daniel pulls me close into another hug and I am about to say something when I hear the door open.

"Good morning boys! I trust you slept well?" I hear Dr. Jameson's horrible voice. I still can't get what she said about me out of my head.

Daniel leans close and whispers "Dr. Jameson and 2 nurses, one female one male. The girl is on the right and the guy is on the left, Dr. Jameson is in the middle" in my ear.

"Thanks" I mutter back to him, turning my head in the direction of her voice. I hear her footsteps coming closer. Daniel shifts so that he is right behind me on the bed, legs on either side of me. He rubs my back comfortingly.

Then suddenly, her voice is right in front of me, I jump in surprise. "How about we get those bandages off and have a look at your face. I'm reaching out to begin now." I feel something brush against the side of my head and immediately press myself up against Daniel, as far away from her as possible. "Do I have your permission to begin?" She sounds annoyed, which just makes me even more scared. I turn my head into Daniel's chest, whimpering.

He wraps a protective arm around me and scoots farther away from her. I hear her stand up and sigh. "Is there someone else who could do it?" Asks Daniel, who sounds just as annoyed as Dr. Jameson, though I know it's not at me.

"I assure you, I am the best here and my skills are the patient's best option." Now she is starting to sound really pissed

"Well I'm not sure the patient feels comfortable with you near him, I'm sure there are other doctors that can do just as good of a job." Daniel retorts.

I sigh, I'm being stupid anyway. "Daniel it's ok, I guess I can handle it. Just stay right where you are."

"Fine, but let me know if you need anything, anything at all." he sounds reluctant. I nod and lay back against him.

"All right, second times a charm!" Dr. Jameson says, clapping. By god she's loud. "Do I have your permission to begin?"

"...yes" I feel her hands on my head and I try my best not to flinch, only partially succeeding. Then slowly the pressure on my forehead and nose begins to release. The open-air on my burned skin hurts, like hurts bad. I keep my eyes shut tightly and a few tears leak out before I can stop them. Daniel hugs me closer.

Dr. Jameson is almost done with my face when she stops. "Oh. My. God." she whispers. "This is amazing"

"What? What is so great about this?" Daniel asks incredulously.

"Never in my lifetime have I seen burns heal this fast. This is the most astounding thing I've ever seen!" She sounds genuinely happy, which honestly makes me uncomfortable. I know everyone is looking at me. Everything this woman does makes me uncomfortable.

"Are you seriously kidding me right now?" Daniel says, he's close to yelling. "Are you actually serious? Please tell me your joking, because, from my point of view, you are marveling at the scars covering my brothers head, which to me definitely don't look that amazing, and not only are you doing it in front of me, a family member, but you are doing it front of your patient who is obviously already in a very uncomfortable position! Have some humanity for god's sake." He finishes, exacerbated.

Then he leans down and whispers in my ear "You ok?"

I give a weak nod, "Thank you"

"It's what I'm here for" I can tell he is smiling slightly. We both turn our attention back to the doctor.

I gulp, "If you're ready, continue ." She says nothing after Daniel's speech, just goes back to her work.

Soon all the wrappings are off of my head and she begins on the next bad spot, my left arm. The arm hurts a bit less than my face but the pain is still excruciating. She finishes and inspects some of my wounds which have apparently already 'scarred over'. "They definitely don't feel healed" I mutter.

"I didn't say healed, I said scarred. Those are two different things. It can take months for a scar to heal."

"Great," I say with fake enthusiasm.

"If you're ready Eden, I'd like you to open your eyes and tell me what you see." I shake my head.

"I'm not ready," I say, retreating even farther back into Daniel.

"Can you give us the room for a moment?" he asks them. I presume they nod and leave because I soon hear the door. "Hey." he gently tilts my chin so that I'm 'looking' at him. "You know that I don't give a fuck what happens."

I scoff "Daniel! Language!" I'm trying to be funny but it doesn't last long because my words soon turn into a sob.

He pulls me against him and says "Just look at me. I'll tell them to come back in because God knows what that woman would do to us if she weren't in the room, probably someth-" he pauses, "the point is, I'll tell them to come in, and then all you do is look for me. You've always been good at hide and seek, what with that tactical brain of yours. All you need to do is find me. And I promise, I will be right in front of you, whether you can see me or not." He stops and waits for my reply. I give a small nod which is apparently good enough for him.

"You can come back in now!" he calls. The door clicks again and I hear Dr. Jameson sit down in front of the bed.

"Whenever you're ready," She says. Daniel tilts my chin up again, just like he did a moment ago.

"I'm right here kid. Find me." And with those words, I muster the courage and open my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5-Day

He opens his eyes. I'm holding my breath and I think everyone else is too. He blinks a few times, like he's confused, and reaches up to rub his eyes but thinks better of it. It doesn't seem like he's focusing on any one thing and the hope that I had built up slowly trickles down the drain. Then he speaks.

"I, I can see you! I mean I can't, but I can!" He starts to smile and the sight almost brings me to tears. "Ow smiling hurts" he exclaims.

"Ok kid, you're going to have to elaborate, what do you mean you can see me but you can't?"

"I can see the light from the window shining on your face, I can see that there's a window there" he points, "and that there's a dark room, probably a bathroom over there," he points again, "I can see two maybe three silhouettes right there and, and I can see you. Oh, Daniel, you're the fuzziest person alive but I can see you!" He reaches out and flings his arms around me. "Give me that damned hot chocolate Daniel! Give it to me now!" He laughs maniacally.

I begin to laugh too, pausing only to say"watch your mouth Eden" and then continuing on. Dr. Jameson and her assistants are looking at us like we're crazy, we just lost our remaining parent and brother in a fire that half-blinded one of us and here we are cracking up over hot chocolate.

Dr. Jameson clears her throat and tries to say "next on the agenda is..." but we stop her.

"Please for the love of god woman, leave us alone for just one damned minute!" I exclaim. This makes Eden laugh harder because I just told him to watch his mouth for saying the same thing. We're hysterical. "One, one moment," I say trying to catch my breath. "I need to call June back here and tell her the good news."

I take out my phone and call her. "Hello?" She sounds tired and worried and I feel bad, we all slept in that one tiny bed last night and I don't think either of us got very good sleep.

But for now, I push my worries away "June, get your ass upstairs, it's a party in here!"

"Can he see!" She practically squeals

"Well kind of, not really, but it's better than we expected, also we're about to get high on hot chocolate. You better get up here fast!"

"Ok I'm going to finish paying for our burritos then I'll be up. This cashier thinks I'm crazy" I laugh

"Ok see you soon!" We hang up and I ask the doctors who are still standing in the corner awkwardly to please kindly leave.

"But we need to talk abo-" I cut her off

"Is it a pressing matter? Will it affect us in any way if we deal with it later?"

She sighs "No but-"

"Does it directly affect my brother's health, physical or mental in any way?"

"...no," she says obviously annoyed

"Then, please. Leave. The. Room. Let us have at least something happy today, yeah? I guarantee that the 'next thing in the agenda' will make him," I point at Eden who's grinning despite his earlier claim that smiling hurts, "less happy than he is right now. See that adorable smile?" I'm holding in my laugh so hard right now, "Have you put that adorable smile on his adorable face once? No. Leave it to me, I'll keep it there."

"Fine," she sighs "but I ask you not to get the patient too riled up, it may affect his heart monitor" Eden snickers from the bed.

"Fine, but now shoo. Shoo! Shoo!" I usher her out of the room. When she finally closes the door, I can't hold my laughs back anymore. I'm cracking up on Eden's's bed, it's harder than I've laughed in a while. "Adorable face!" I can't breath, "adorable face my ass. You have the face of a devil"

"Heyyyy I am adorable and everyone knows it!" He cackles and lays his head down beside me.

June walks in and exclaims, "Day, what on earth did you do!? I just walked past Dr. Jameson in the hallway and it looks like someone pushed that stick even further up her ass!" We are all hollering and laughing harder than we've ever laughed before.

"Yeah Dayyyy, what on earth did you do?" Eden teases.

"Hey, you know only June gets to call me Day,"

"Day, Day, Day"

"Fine, if you call me Day then I have the right to call you Adam and Eve."

He gasps, pretending to be offended, "That is the worst pun in the history of puns!"

"Hey! It wasn't that bad" I whine

"Stop your bickering boys and come get the soggy 5 dollar breakfast burritos I got for us" June giggles. I walk over to the table where she set them down and grab mine and Eden's, placing his in his outstretched hand when I get back to the bed. I'm about to ask him if he needs help opening it but I decide to not wound his pride.

I watch him struggle, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth and when he finally opens it he grins. He leans down to take a bite...and completely misses his mouth. I'm rolling around laughing again, harder than last time and Eden just stares straight ahead.

"I, I missed. I freaking missed my mouth!" June is cracking up too and Eden is dumbfounded. "You guys are the meanest people I have ever met! I'm blind, have a little sympathy," but as he says this he begins to laugh too.

Just then the door opens and Dr. Jameson, as well as some other woman, walks in. "I am sorry to interrupt, I know you were enjoying yourselves," she glances at me, "but she is here and has a tight schedule, we need to do this now."

She gestures and the other woman steps forward. "Hello I am a social worker, my name is Michelle and I am here to talk about who gets custody of Eden Bataar Wing." I'm not laughing anymore.


	6. Chapter 6-Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle the social worker

"What, what do you mean who gets custody of him? He's not going anywhere. You can't just barge in and say stuff like that!" My mind is trying to comprehend what she is saying, trying to comprehend the fact that Eden might get taken away from me. "I can't lose anybody else," I whisper. 

Eden curls up into me and I can tell he is already about to cry. I wrap my arms around him and try to think of something comforting to say but my mind won't work. "Now hold on Daniel." says Michelle, "I'm not trying to take your brother away from you, but we do have to figure something out. You're 16 is that correct?" 

"Yes," I say 

"And would you like to try for custody of your brother when you are old enough to do so?" I look down at Eden in question and he nods vigorously back at me. 

"I guess you have your answer. Yes, I would."

"Alright then, we need to figure something out until you turn 18. Let's talk about your situation. Both of your parents are dead, yes?"

I gulp "Yes, that's correct" Eden begins to cry quietly against me and I pull him closer. 

"Your older brother is also not with us anymore, is that correct?" 

I nod

"Alright, do you have any other family member who might be willing to take you in for a few years? I will of course check that myself but I want to hear from you."

I think, we don't have any aunts or uncles and no grandparents left alive, "There isn't really anybody left."

"Ok, then hear me out, how about something like a live-in nanny. Someone will come and take some of the responsibilities off of your shoulders until you turn 18 and even then if you'd like, they can continue to care for you."

"Can we talk about it for a bit in private please?" I ask

"Sure, take however long you need."

I nod in thanks and they leave the room, I can still see them standing close-by out of the window in the door though. 

I reach down and wipe the tears off of Eden's face. "How does that sound to you? Someone will come help out and then as soon as I can, I'll get full responsibility for you."

He nods "D, Daniel, I miss mom. I, I had to watch her, watch her bur- she tried to come to me but the fire was too big." He starts crying again and I'm speechless. He just admitted that he watched our mom burn to death. 

"Eden. If you want to tell me what happened at home, then I will listen, I will always listen to you, but if you don't, don't ever feel obligated to tell me. Ok? I can't even begin to imagine what you saw, and I want to help you in every way that I know how to. I miss mom too." I ruffle his hair and he nods against me, sniffling. "Should we take Michelle up on her offer?"

"Yeah" he whispers, "I think that's a good idea." 

"Ok. Can they come back in now?" He nods. "June can you tell them to come back in please?" 

"Sure"

When both Michelle and Dr. Jameson are back in the room June closes the door. We all sit in uncomfortable silence for a minute until I say "I think your plan will work." 

"Good to hear!" says Michelle cheerfully. "Now, do you mind if I talk to Eden alone for a minute?" 

"I don't know if that's the best idea..." I say. Eden doesn't even acknowledge her. She scoots closer and tries to meet his eyes reaching out to take his hand. 

"Eden I want to help you, as much as I can, but I need to talk to you without anybody else in the room. Think you can handle that?" She sounds genuine enough. He gives a slight nod and I begin to let go of him, making my way off the bed. 

I grab his hand and say "If you need anything, just call for me, I'll be right outside the door, yeah?" he nods again whimpering. I cup his cheeks and kiss his forehead then walk out. It takes all of my self-control to leave him in there with Michelle but I know it's for the best in the long run. 

I slump down against the wall and lay my head back. June sits down next to me grabbing my hand in hers. "Hey, it'll be ok," she says comfortingly and I realize I'm crying.

"I just can't believe it. Yesterday I went to school and everything was fine. Now I'm in the hospital talking about custody because my mom and brother are dead. What am I gonna do June?" 

"Well, you're gonna keep your head up and you're gonna be ok. Everything will be ok in the end. I promise." 

"How can you promise that?" 

She smiles, "I just can" I lay my head on her shoulder, grateful for her words and company. "You've always been there for me, now it's my turn. Let me be here for you." 

"Thanks, June. You really are amazing." I say 

She flips her hair and smiles, "I know." I giggle and continue to talk, passing the time and distracting myself from my anxiety. 

Soon the door opens and Michelle walks out smiling. I jump up and go over to her. "What did you need from him?"

"I just wanted to let him know that if he needs anything from me, he can always ask. I gave him my number too." 

I gulp, "Thank you" She smiles at me. 

"It's my job to be helpful" I nod and walk into the room. Eden is laying on the bed, eyes closed. He looks peaceful. When he hears me come in he pats the bed. I go and lay next to him and he snuggles up close. 

"When can we go home?" He asks then sits up suddenly, eyes wide. "Daniel. We don't have a home! What are we gonna do?"

I try to remain calm for his sake, "I'm not sure right now kid, but I can guarantee you the adults here aren't going to let us go homeless. We'll probably stay with June until we figure something else out." He nods seeming at least partially relieved. "Besides, that's not for you to worry about anyways." 

"It's not for you to worry about either" he retorts. 

I shrug, "You look as exhausted as I feel, I think we're both due for a nap anyways."   
Time skip

I wake up to a knock on the door. I'm in bed next to Eden, who is still out like a light. "Come in" I whisper "but be quiet about it, yeah?"

Dr. Jameson walks in and I almost groan, she's going to wake Eden up in a second. "I need to talk to you about Eden's discharge." She says. I think she's trying to whisper but it sounds like normal speech. 

"Ok but can we do it out in the hall, I don't want to wake him up"

"Fine." We go outside and I shut the door as quietly as I can. 

"Ok, here's how it's going to go, because of his rapid healing I'm going to discharge him this evening, but I need you or your caretaker to bring him in 3 times a week for follow ups and check ins. I know this seems excessive but I want to keep checking his eyes. Once I'm sure that the scars have completely healed I want to see what we can do to improve his vision." 

"What do you mean improve his vision, I though he was stuck like this." 

"Well, there are a few things to take into account for example, the outer layer of his corneas were severely burned which cause a bleeding reaction underneath, but I believe the with the right drugs, blood thinners and surgeries, we can improve Eden's vision."

"Hold up, did you say surgeries? I'm not sure about that."

"There's nothing we can do for a while so that gives you and Eden time to think about it." 

I nod, "Ok" 

I move to go back inside but she speaks again "Oh, one more thing, your friend had to leave but she told me to tell you 'goodbye and everything will be ok. We got this'. She seems very nice" Dr. Jameson gives a almost creepy smile. 

"Uh thanks I guess" With that I go back inside and wait for Eden to wake up.


End file.
